Probably, absolutely all people, even those who are not believers, know that when entering the church building a woman should cover her head. Handkerchiefs are now often provided in churches for free. This is very convenient, since with a pulse visit to the temple with them, as a rule, they are not.
But where did this tradition come from? Why are women covering their heads in the church, but not men? What explains this requirement? These questions often arise for those who are faced with the need to wear a scarf, but do not want to do this.
Do I need to close my hair everywhere?
The question of why women cover their heads in the church is often caused by the sincere bewilderment of those who attended churches outside of Russia. For example, it is difficult to explain to foreign tourists the need to use public scarves. Women not only do not understand why this is necessary, but also refuse because of the likelihood of contracting any infections, for example, fungal infections, or for fear of catching lice.
Indeed, hair coverage is not required everywhere, even within the framework of exclusively orthodox Christian denominations. For example, in Greek chapels, cathedrals and churches, it is quite possible to observe praying women whose heads are not covered by anything.
However, this is not connected at all with Christian traditions, but with the peculiarities of historical development. For some time, Greece was ruled by Muslims. At this time, laws ordered all women to wear hijabs or burqas, regardless of their religion. Entering the church, Greek women immediately got rid of their hats and remained simple-haired. With the departure of Muslim rule, the tradition of remaining in the temple with an uncovered head remained.
There is no need to close your hair in Catholic churches, wherever they are. Although it is customary to come to Mass in some places in hats with a veil, in elegant scarves, this, as in the case of Greek Christians, is a custom that has developed outside of Christianity.
What is the reason for the need to close hair?
Quite often, when asked why women need to cover their heads in church, people who understand religious intricacies answer that the apostle Paul spoke about the need for this.
Indeed, in one of the letters of the apostle there are words about the need to cover the head during worship. However, why in the church women cover their heads is not connected with faith in Christ itself.
During the formation of Christianity, there were many cults, whose servants shaved their heads baldly. These included the cult of Aphrodite, which was very widespread in the Mediterranean, and many others. Having believed in Christ, the priestesses were embarrassed by their appearance and did not want to stand out during the meetings. The solution to this question was the farewell of the apostle, who recommended that all women cover their heads with scarves. This ruled out the possibility of singling out specific women from the crowd and embarrassing them, or even reproaching them.
Thus, the answer to the question of why women cover their heads in the church is not related to faith, and the procedure itself is advisory in nature. That is why in Catholic churches, hair covering was never required from parishioners.
How was this tradition explained in Russia?
The shawl covering the hair gives women modesty and humility. In addition, the hair of the Slavs during paganism was always loose during rituals, holidays and ceremonies. Also, hair is one of the main materials used in various witchcraft.
This is one of the reasons why women in the church cover their heads with a scarf. In addition, the scarf covers one of the attractive features of the exterior. In other words, eliminates what can distract other worshipers.
The tradition of covering hair at the entrance to the church in Russia with the introduction of "Domostroi" has become entrenched. If before him, being in a temple without a kerchief was censured, but allowed, then after the entry into force of this set of rules, covering the hair became mandatory.
What is written about in Domostroy?
“Domostroy” is a collection of prescriptions, rules relating to the organization of the lifestyle and life of Russian people. This set of regulations appeared in the 15th century and was in fact a consolidation of the way that the majority of the population adhered to.
The rules included in this collection ordered all women to enter the temple exclusively with covered hair. However, what exactly needs to be covered up, this set of regulations did not regulate. This was the reason why a woman in a church with her head covered could be both in a rich kokoshnik and in a simple scarf.
Do all women need to close their hair?
Until the middle of the fifteenth century, there was a custom according to which only married women, girls and teenagers, children, and hair were not covering their heads when entering the temple. However, the set of rules and standards of life of Domostroi ordered all women to close their heads, without any exceptions. In this regard, a tradition has arisen to wear white scarves on girls. And the girls of marriageable age began to wear beautiful, embroidered with large patterns shawls, which, when leaving the temple, could be dropped onto the shoulders.
However, the demand of Domostroy did not take root everywhere. In the southern parts of the country, a custom has been preserved according to which girls and children did not hide their hair. However, they braided tight braids, entering the temple with her hair was considered unacceptable.
In Little Russia, why a woman should cover her head in the church, the people were directly associated with devilry and witchcraft. Therefore, there girls began to use scarves with the beginning of the formation of menstruation. It was very convenient and practical, because by the presence of a scarf it was possible to understand whether it makes sense to send matchmakers to a specific family. That is, the scarf was a kind of sign, indicating that the girl was ready for marriage.
What do the priests say? Do I need to hide my hair?
Paradoxical as it may seem, the Christian church has never officially demanded that women close their hair. Wearing scarves is associated with local customs, lifestyles, historical moments and other similar circumstances.
However, an important role is played by the position of a particular clergyman, head priest of the temple that the woman was about to attend. Many priests do not require covering their heads, emphasizing that this is a personal matter of the believer. But there are those who adhere to the position of the apostle and believe that it is appropriate to hide hair in the church, especially if the hairstyle is extravagant or is highlighted in color.
It is necessary and take into account what is accepted among the regular parishioners in a particular temple. Traditions must be respected. And although no one has the right to force a woman to wear a scarf, before defending her freedom of choice, one needs to think about why the church is being attended - for prayer or to demonstrate oneself.